My Story

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Stories. A childhood spent reading, tucked up in my room under the eaves, fairy lights draped above my bed. Forever losing myself in imaginary worlds, swept away by wild adventure or the breathtaking pull of love or the painful pit of heartache. Learning to feel through my bones, through the beat of my heart, all from the most beautifully-crafted words on a page.

That's where this all began.

I have always been a storyteller. I worked as a broadsheet journalist for many years, writing about pivotal moments in other people’s lives, which in turn led me to write an award-winning book, a collection of literary short stories, a window into the quiet lives of families, stories of loss and loneliness but also of love. Yet as much as words live in my soul, so too do aesthetics. I wrote for and styled for interiors magazines and (once upon a time) also ran a successful interiors blog for many years.

Our Story Time entwines the threads that have lingered inside me for so long - writing and aesthetic interiors styling. It brings together the best of my imagination. Our Story Time was launched in October 2017, two months after my third baby boy was born.

Through Our Story Time, I wish to elevate our every day moments from the mundane to the magical, whether that's simply taking the time to savour a deliciously dark steaming hot chocolate in an exquisite handmade mug or gifting a child the most curious handmade doll, striking and full of intrigue, or pausing to watch the gentle dance of a garland of stars brushing against a wall in a slow breeze.

Why? Because I believe it's worth taking the time to slow down and look for meaning and true feeling in the everyday, which sometimes is all too easy to forget. All too easy to simply not see. I know, because for a while there, I nearly stopped seeing the magic myself. Nearly stopped feeling. The hard-nosed world of journalism, its deadlines and bylines and competitiveness nearly snatched it all away from me. At times, this dry, grown-up world of being tough made it hard for me to breathe, just trying to keep up with everyone else.

Then, one day, I realised I didn't have to run that race anymore.

My little ones teach me everyday to see the world through their eyes. I wish to capture their childlike wonder forever through Our Story Time, bottle it like glitter in a snow globe.

In my own home, I firmly believe less is more and better. And less is calm. Yet I don't believe that this version of simple living or minimal living - call it what you will - is at odds with being a shop owner. On the contrary. It's precisely why I take such care to only source the finest, most wondrous finds for my store. I truly believe that the state of your surroundings can impact the state of your mind. That surrounding yourself only with beautiful, thoughtful, well-chosen, considered objects can only enhance your day-to-day, your mood, your wellbeing. When that change happens, purchasing a product is no longer a materialistic act but meaningful. It's why I want to inspire you with ways to live thoughtfully, both visually and emotively, here through this blog.

So come with me.

Let's take the every day and let's make it magical. Let's slow down and look for the beauty that has always been there. Let us consider the poetry in the prose.

Let us create a place where stories of your own heart, and stories of those most beloved to you, can be written through rare and exquisite pieces that calm, evoke and inspire. Let us nurture your own story time, the pieces that make you.

And let me help you make your home a thoughtful place where even the tiniest room has boundless space for creativity and an endless imagination to bloom.

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